BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, DECEMBER 27TH 2010 (CUOPM) – A call for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis to be compassionate, thoughtful and embracing, is the Christmas wish of the Federation’s Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas.
“This is why, on this most sacred of days, my wish for us all is that the Peace that passeth all understanding will bless our hearts and minds so that we will both feel and pass on the true spirit of this most special of seasons. The Peace that I wish for our nation, fellow-nationals, is transcendent in its powers. It is of greater value than any wrapped present, it is more precious than the presence of any particular person, and it is of greater benefit than being in any particular place. This Peace will cause our hearts and minds see the presence of family and friends, as a special gift – and it will help us to view and receive their presence with a grateful heart,” said Prime Minister Douglas in the traditional Christmas message on radio and television.
Dr. Douglas also called on those who have neither family nor friends nearby to see this fact not as a cause for despair, but as an opportunity to reflect upon the mysteries of life and to gain strength from the fact that the first Christmas did not begin with crowds and jubilation, but instead with the reality of extreme “aloneness” for a young mother and her new born son.
“We know now, of course, that what began as a state of “aloneness” in Bethlehem, unfolded to become a most powerful, uplifting, and transformative message of Faith, Hope, and Love known to mankind. And to this day, it shines as brightly across the world as the star of Bethlehem did so many years ago,” said Dr. Douglas, adding:
“This message of Faith and Hope has encouraged, and protected, and strengthened, billions across the face of the earth ever since. And we all know just how much it has strengthened and uplifted the people of our two precious islands - for as long as we have called these shores home.”
Suggesting that Bethlehem gave to the world a new path; a new way, the way of patience, the way of understanding, the way of compassion and the way of kindness and love, Prime Minister Douglas noted that each year at Christmas “we can feel ourselves striving, and see others striving, to move ever more surely along this path. It is this effort on our part, and on the part of others, I think that makes Christmas so special to people all over the world.”
“It is this that causes Kittitians and Nevisians living abroad make a special effort to return home each year. And it is this that makes our reconnecting with them, whether by chance or design, so special – and so much a part of Christmas. It is this special spirit that makes carolers go to our hospitals and to homes throughout the Federation spreading cheer.”
“It is why we make the special effort to express, to far more persons than normal, sentiments which, in the rush of daily living, often go unsaid. And it is why both the expression of these sentiments, and the hearing of them, makes life seem so much warmer, so much better, and indeed so blessed,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
Pointing out that during this holiday season, in which joyous revelry has become such an important part of the Federation’s culture, Dr. Douglas called on nationals to remember, that wisdom permits all to understand both the positive and negative consequences of actions and the choosing of paths of positive consequences.
“Wisdom permits us to understand the importance of being respected by others. And it causes us to behave in a manner that causes us to indeed earn that respect. Wisdom causes us to be humble in our moments of triumph, and stoic in our moments of pain, because the status of no man is forever etched in stone. Finally, wisdom reminds us that we were made in the image of God, and this in turn places a special responsibility on us all to celebrate and be joyous, to frolic and have fun, to be free and rejoice, but always within the bounds of decency, always within the bounds of good taste, always in a manner that tells the world that we do, indeed, understand our obligation to reflect the goodness and the majesty of our Creator – even in the midst of our carnival celebrations,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
